You've Seen My Scars, Now Show Me Yours
by AshGreyAllison
Summary: Matt is a freshman, who after 3 months knows the basics of High School. When a certain sophomore gets put into a painful and difficult situation, however, Matt sees more of the infamous Mello than he thought he ever would. MelloxMatt AU maybe slight OOC.
1. Introduction

You've Seen My Scars, Now Show Me Yours

Every once in a while, things happen in your life that you don't expect. Or rather, you don't expect them to get so much worse or better, or bizarre.

…But then they _do. _

My Name is Mail Jeeves, but it's kind of awkward to introduce yourself with such an odd name, so I chose to go by the nickname 'Matt' since I was young, not that everything else about me isn't laughably awkward already. To put it simply, I stick out. From my vibrant burgundy colored hair to my choice in attire, I'm not the most subtle freshman in high school. Thankfully, that hasn't kept me from making some good friends. Near, for example, isn't a very talkative kid, but we have a lot of classes together so we usually help each other with homework and studying. We're about 3 months into the school year, by the way. Everyone is settled in, knows their way around, and has figured out which teachers are going to give them shit for pulling out a PGS in the middle of class…or is that just me?

Anyway, it was during an otherwise boring second period math class that everything got set into motion. Near and I were working on a sheet of relatively simple equations when a sound that could've made even the most stoic of ninjas flinch came from outside. Although Near and I have both heard this sound enough times to know damn well what it meant, we couldn't help but scoot our desks in unison with the rest of the class to see out the tiny window on the classroom door that lead to the hall to see some of the action. I could only see a male senior, Errand Salphe, eyeing something out of my view with enough malice to reduce any right-minded person to a state of alarm, at the _at the very least_. Especially considering how Errand is a big and scary dude to begin with.

There were quite a few people I could name right now whom I know would have the balls to pick fights with seniors like that. Though because of how often one particular student did this, only his name came to mind at the time.

"Mello," Near confirmed to me under his breath. He must've seen him since his position gave him a better view of the window than me. That was all I needed to hear to lose interest and go back to my work while everyone else watched. The one out there who was fighting Errand was Mello. In other words, the one fighting Errand was the embodiment of a typical high school asshole that could care less about anyone other than himself. I didn't need to be acquainted with him to know this. You could tell by the things people said about him, the way teachers grimaced at the mention of his name, the glares he's given me on the few occasions that me and the sophomore have crossed paths, and the mere aura of violent intent that he gives off. I've been troubled by his kind in the past, but long since then have I vowed to never let myself be open to the games of a classic school house bully.

Although "classic" would be giving him a little less credit than he deserves, I have to admit. Mello, if anything, was more on the extreme side. The kind who gets into fights like this at least twice a week, as if everyone and everything bothers him to some extent. And because of that he is virtually friendless, of course…

By now, one of the teachers from this wing of the school had taken control of the situation. Both boys were in the office now. Everyone was still looking on as they got dragged away, teeth bared from both sides like wild animals while they mouthed curse words and insults at each other. I did notice, though, that Linda had an especially interested look on her face. That girl who sits two rows ahead of Near and I, whom I happened to know was Mello's (self-proclaimed) girlfriend at the moment. She was actually more like a mutual friend between both Mello and Errand, but it wasn't hard to tell that she was friendlier with Mello than anyone else in the school, if you know what I mean. Mello didn't feel the same way, judging by how he treats her pretty much the same as anyone else here. Just because he didn't have friends, doesn't mean his reputation left him without air-headed "admirers." That also didn't mean Mello gave any effort to acknowledge his fans, though. Anyway, about her face…

For someone who claimed to "love" both Mello and Errand, her face was not at all sympathetic, or even worried. That could be explained by the fact that she's probably gotten used to Mello's many fights, but even that did not explain to me the small smirk of amusement that was where the worry should by.

Or maybe the situation need not be explained at all. Classic high School Drama. And Liars.

However wrong I was to think this, I took comfort in my false sense of security on the grounds that I'd never have to worry about the affairs of people like the infamous sophomore, Mello, and we all went back to our high school lives. Me, only for the time being, though.

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><p>Well, that's the first chapter. things start picking up in the next one, though, so please no flames yet! If you wanna let me know what you think of it so far or let me know if you see any grammatical mistakes, I'd be very grateful ^^<p> 


	2. Hospital, Once Again

**_To everyone who decided to stick with this story to chapter 2, thank you so much! I'm sorry the first chapter was kind of short and boring, but I needed an introduction for everyone. It gets better, trust me! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, there is more to come~_**

** -AshGrey**

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><p><em>You've Seen My Scars, Now Show Me Yours<em>

The following week went without much complication. Only after the weekend had passed and the dreaded Monday had reared its ugly head did I realize in the midst of my zombie-like, beginning-of-the-week tiredness that _something_ about school was a bit off. Something was missing.

It was that sophomore, Mello.

Don't you dare start thinking I had a crush on someone I barely knew or something, I just offhandedly made note of something that rarely occurred. For a delinquent like Mello, it was weird to me how he'd always attend school no matter what unless sick or suspended for whatever reason, so naturally it also comes as a surprise when the uncommon situation of Mello being a no-show occurs. From what I could gather by listening to some other conversations made in the cafeteria, he was out because of an injury. Now that sounded odd, considering the kind of person Mello was. You'd hardly know of his sturdiness by looking at him, his slightly effeminate haircut and features only giving way to his true nature when you take into account the excessive amounts of black leather he wore. It must've been bad, but bad enough for him to miss a day of school?

Nope. Try bad enough for him to miss a week of school. Come Friday afternoon, I had heard so many rumors that I wasn't sure what was true and what was the over-exaggeration that came custom with the whole teen-drama package. 'Mello is just skipping cause he's a bad kid, Mello got hurt so badly that he can't come to school anymore at all, Mello died somehow…' Were the three most plausible and common rumors going around. Apparently no one really knew which hospital Mello was in or his current state of health, so no one visited him since his disappearance from school. I don't think this story would've progressed any farther if not for what happened next.

It was fifth period, and I was in the middle of writing characters in my Mandarin class when I was called to the principal's office. I wasn't worried, seeing as how I got along better than fine with most of the kids in my school, but I still had that feeling of "oh shit" that we all get when we get called to the principal's office. When I got there, Linda was there too, clad in a sweaty T-shirt and short shorts that should've gotten her suspended for indecency.

'She definitely came from gym class,' I thought with a quiet sigh. The principal, Dr. Ruvie, didn't seem to be bothered by it so there must have been more pressing matters at hand. Sure enough…

"Linda, Mathew," (The principal never called me Mail, but also refused to address me by something as casual as "Matt." Cool dude…) "I want you both to do me a favor and go visit Mello at the hospital. I have the address and the room he's staying in right here…"

"Why?" Was all I could ask. In a rather dumbstruck fashion, I might add. 'Oh, hell no!' was all I could bring myself to think. I was a good student. Why was I being weighted with the task of visiting someone I didn't even care about, someone the whole school didn't even like, and with Linda, of all people?

"Linda is Mello's friend," Roger stated matter-of –factly, "she insists she needs to see Mello and that it'll cheer him up from being in a hospital all day. I'd like you to go with her simply because you're one of our top students, not only with your grades," at this point I knew where he was going but obviously let him continue, "I'm quite aware of how popular you are amongst the other students here, I'm hoping that your friendly disposition will make Mello a little more, well…"

"I see," I interrupted in a desperate attempt to avoid hearing a verbal pun on Mello's name and how it contradicted his attitude so perfectly, "I'll go with Linda to the hospital after school then," I said before getting the information and leaving a very pleased Dr. Ruvie and a very visibly displeased Linda behind me as I walked out of the office and back to the rest of my school day. I knew for a fact why the principal chose me to go with Linda. I'm the perfect buzz kill to combat the chance of a horny school girl and a defiant teenage boy from having hospital sex. Though I'd be wrong if I said I wasn't curious as to just what happened to said teenage boy. Obviously he wasn't dead, and he wasn't just faking it, otherwise Linda wouldn't have asked Dr. Ruvie what hospital he's in, and Dr. Ruvie wouldn't have known, for that matter. So it must be bad…

"You know, you really don't have to come in." Linda stated, rather rudely at that, once we were both outside Mello's hospital room door after school had ended. I really hate people like this. They treat you like you're just some NPC that they don't have to worry about taking advantage of because of how expendable you are. Well if this bitch thought I came all this way just to hear her tell me to go home, she had another thing coming.

"Oh it's okay, I'll come in," I said in a false tone of obliviousness. I even added a fake smile to make the act even more disgustingly sweet.

"…Fine, but you don't have to stay long, you knoooow," she stretched out the last word to further hint at intentions I was already aware of. I was so inclined to ask if Mello even shows the slightest interest in her that I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from saying it. She almost made me feel sorry for Mello. Almost.

We finally went in, Linda feeling the intense need to rush ahead of me, of course. I looked at the lump on the bed in front of me while Linda rushed to its side, eagerly trying to force the sheets off of what I presumed was Mello. Had it not been for his immediate, yet weak and slightly parched-sounding response of "fucking…stop!" I would've worried that we might have the wrong room. Apparently no one told Mello we were coming to visit him. I felt a little more unwelcomed here by the second.

Finally, Linda gave up and took a seat in a nearby chair, scooting it as close to Mello's bed as possible. Not wanting to let the room fall into an awkward silence, I took a step forward and spoke up.

"Um…Mello? It's me, Matt. We go to the same high school. Dr. Ruvie wanted me to come with Linda, so…" Beyond that, I had no idea what to say. Mello was laying on his back, judging by the way the sheets covering him looked, and Linda was noe staring at me as if she was trying to force me out the door with telekinetic powers.

Finally, the sophomore pushed the covers away, turned around on his back, and sat up all In one fluid motion. I didn't know what to expect, so I braced myself for the worst as quick as I could.

His head, or rather, half of his face, was the culprit. Bandaged with slightly bloodstained gauze. His uncovered eye traveled from me,( for once it wasn't a glare, but more of a slightly pained, but otherwise stoic gaze,) to Linda, who got the same treatment. It was at this point that I noted how much more unruly his hair had become since I'd last seen him. Then he spoke;

"It's ugly," he stated, words directed at Linda, "you don't wanna be around when the bandages come off."

Linda was still taken aback by the bandaged areas and how much of him was covered in them. And around the parts that were bandaged, although it was only slightly visible, small areas here and there that weren't covered caught Linda's attention next. Puss, blood and scabs galore, which made sense on account of the somewhat soiled gauze on his face. His partially exposed back was also covered with bandages, though not as much attention was given to it, so it probably wasn't as badly affected.

She looked like she was about to protest with Mello's Statement, but after raking over Mello's face with her eyes, then giving his still-blanketed crotch area the same treatment, as if judging whether or not it was worth it, she stood up and left with a simple "Ah…Bye, Mello. I'll see you in school when you get back." We watched her go and the door shut behind her. The awkward silence I was trying to avoid was exactly what I got when I looked back over at where Mello was, and our eyes met. I'm no psychic, but it almost seemed if the look he was giving challenged me to leave just like Linda just did. That and….something else.

Annoyance? Was I making his bad day worse by standing there and gawking at what was probably now the area on his face he'd be most self-conscious of?

Regret? Were those eyes (well, eye…) giving away a twinge of pain toward not stopping Linda, or possibly not stopping whatever landed him in the hospital? Or could it even be some form of genuine sadness? I decided I wasn't going to find out by competing with him in a vacant stare contest, so again I spoke.

"How did it happen?" I asked in a low voice. Mello blinked at the question and after a moment decided to humor me.

"3rd degree burns."

"From what?"

"…" I was afraid that he didn't want to say, so I tried to steer the subject in a different direction to lighten the mood.

"Oh, by the way, while you were out of school…" I told him about all the rumors that'd spread about him. He seemed happy to talk about something else, and he seemed to get a kick out of the one rumor about him being dead. For whatever reason, I was relieved to see the uncovered half of his face lean more toward what it usually looks like. Mischievous and proud, just like any old delinquent. He also appeared to be pretty happy to have a conversation buddy. We talked about school and he told me about kids he knows that do all kinds of stupid shit that make for great stories. To say the very least I was pretty amazed at how the conversation was going so smoothly. Mello isn't all that bad afterall. I could even go as far as say that I was enjoying myself.

Time flew by, though, and soon visiting hours ended. I gathered my stuff and made my way to the door when Mello called after me.

"Matt…" Hearing him say my name made me stop instantly. I felt some sort of messed up sense of pride from hearing it. Was it because of his reputation?

"Yeah?" I said, turning around to meet his gaze again.

"I...I get out tomorrow at 4, so…" I knew what he was asking before he finished. But the question was, did I really want to stick around to help this ruffian make his way home? Did I really want to see what he looked like with his bandages removed…?

I gave him a smile and said, "I'll be here," before leaving to go home. As I thought about it on the way to my house, I realized two things. One of which being the fact that Linda and I were the only ones visiting him. Not even his parents showed up or anything. What's up with that? Also, Mello didn't seem too keen on the thought of me not showing up to take him home. Did that mean his parents weren't coming to get him? Do they even care? I mean, the poor kid didn't even seem at all like he'd be able to make it himself. And who's gonna sign him out? Don't you need a guardian for that? My thoughts were interrupted when I reached my house. I entered to see my mom reading a book on the couch in the living room, as usual.

"Where were you?" she asked with her heavy Jersey city accent.

"I was at the hospital visiting someone."

"Mmm?" She commented half-heartily as I walked into the kitchen to make a sandwich.

"He's burned up pretty bad."

"Mmm…"

"He wouldn't tell me where he got it from."

"Mhmm…" It was at this point that I realized that she didn't give a crap, as usual, but I continued to talk anyway.

"He's actually pretty cool even though at school he's usually-" I was cut off by the sound of the news channel's volume rising. It was at the level of loudness my mom put it to when she was signifying that she didn't wanna talk to me anymore. A sound level I knew all too well.

"Alright, fine." I said quietly, putting back the bread I was gonna use before I suddenly lost my appetite and continuing straight up the stairs to my room, unclasping my trusty safety pin that I always kept attached to my shirt collar before closing the door and taking my shirt off.

_It's always like this…_

_No matter how much I want things to change between me and my family, it's always gonna be like this…_


	3. Mello's House

**_Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the first chapters of my story and kept reading to chapter 3! As your reward I'd like to let you know that this is where things start heating up :3 Also, before I forget again, None of the characters I use (besides the two or three that I made up for this story) are of my creation as they belong to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, if you didn't already know._**

**_Enjoy~! _**

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><p><em>You've Seen My Scars, Now Show Me Yours<em>

As promised, I went to the hospital the next day after school. Mello was reading a book when I got to his room, much to my surprise.

"I like reading," was his response. "What, you thought just because I'm a bad kid, I'm stupid too?" I didn't wanna get on Mello's bad side now, of all times, so I just shook my head and asked, "are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," he said, getting up off the bed slowly. He was wearing the usual black leather pants, but his shirt wasn't his usual leather vest and red coat, though. It was a black long-sleeve that looked slightly baggy on him. Probably for the best since anything less would rub up against his back scar and cause discomfort. I must have been staring because in the middle of my thoughts Mello, who was now off the bed and at the door, was waving his hand to get my attention.

"Dude, we can go now."

"Oh, right," I responded, snapping back to what I was doing and who I was talking to. As we walked down the hospital hall and the front desk neared, I had to ask;

"So, uh…are your parents signing you out now or…?" Mello looked away, up at the celling.

"My dad called the hospital earlier, He's not in the country right now, and won't be back till summer, so we can just leave." I wasn't sure whether or not I was to believe his story. I guess that means he doesn't have a mom…? All the same, how is he living alone like that for the whole school year? Needless to say, I got kind of nervous as we got to the exit, half expecting an employee to stop us and scold him for just trying to up and leave, but to my surprise the lady at the front desk just nodded once as we passed her and wrote something down on a piece of paper. So far, so good…

"So, your dad is out of the country? Where do you live, anyway?" I couldn't help but ask the second question because I was afraid Mello might live in the slums or something.

"My dad is…well, he's a detective. Not a very _well-known _detective, but he's solved more cases than you'd ever take the time to count in your head. And my place isn't far from here. We need to stop at the corner store first though, I need something…"

"A detective, huh?" Needless to say, I didn't believe what he was saying for a second. I was beginning to think he wasn't all there in the head. I wasn't about to start any arguments with him though. Besides, the corner store was a much welcomed idea. I've been meaning to make a stop there myself.

When we got there, I grabbed two packs of Marlboro light and a water and headed for the counter. Mello met me there with…chocolate. As in 4 or 5 bars of it. I kept my poker face while he pulled out his wallet and said, "Let me cover this." He paid for both my smokes and the chocolate and we were on our way again. I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer.

"You have a chocolate addiction or something? Didn't see that coming…"

At this Mello's face gained the slightest pink tint and he retorted, "yeah, and I never would've thought a little goody two-shoes like you would be a smoker!" We both hit the nail on the head, and we both knew it. I smiled to myself. Thinking of how my family and not even my friends knew about two out-of-character habits I had picked up over the past year. This was one of them and now only Mello knew, which didn't bother me enough to deter me from getting some cigarettes when I had none with me.

"You got a lighter at your house?" Mello flinched at the question, but I would've missed it if I had blinked.

"…no, I…lost it. But I have some old matches in the basement. I'll dig 'em up when we get there."

"Alright, cool." I had to keep slowing my pace because Mello couldn't keep up. He'd raise his hand half-way to where his back was burned, but then bring it back down quickly, probably not wanting to give away how much pain he was in at this point. I had to stop and sigh. There was no way we'd get anywhere at this rate.

"Hey, how far is your house now?"

"Um, about two more blocks, why?"

"You're being slow." Mello seemed a little pissed off that I noticed, as if I wasn't going to.

"Well, what do you expect?" I can't really move like this."

"I know," I walked over to him and put his right arm around my shoulders. Whatever amount of Mello's blush from the chocolate comment had left now came back full force.

"N-no! Stop, I can do this myself! I don't need-AGH!" Mello was cut off by his burn, and now he didn't hesitate to bring his free hand up to his neck, pulling on the collar of his shirt. "Whatever, fine! Let's just get to my house already."

"You don't have to tell me twice." At first, Mello was hardly leaning on me at all, but slowly I could feel him relax against my shoulder and together we made it to his house. I noticed I had been smiling that whole time. Why?

Mello moved his arm away to unlock his door, and together we went into his house. It was breathtaking. The floors were wooden and rather shiny; there was a living room with a laptop sitting on a coffee table near a leather (of course) couch facing an impressive flat-screen TV. The kitchen beyond this was nice too. It was even big enough to have a granite-topped island with a sink built in! I wasn't exited over the living conditions alone, though. Mostly I was happy that Mello wasn't living the kind of life I though he was.

I decided to challenge his earlier statement and asked, "So where're your parents?"

Mello just raised a brow at me and walked into the kitchen to put his chocolate down and said, "I already told you, he's out of the Country. I'm not allowed to tell you where he is exactly. He's a detective, after all."

"Uh-huh, and what about your mom?" I asked, skeptically.

"Don't have one. My dad adopted me and he doesn't have time for love."

'_Well that kind of sucks,' _I thought to myself, _"but that leaves the question of…"_

"Why did he…um…I mean, how did you two…meet?" The awkward nature of my question must have given away what I really wanted to ask and answered accordingly;

"The reason he adopted me is…because someday he's not gonna be a detective anymore, and I'll be the one to take his place. I'm his successor, so to speak," Mello said, looking quite proud of himself. I could only stare at him. Again, this boy left me without knowing how to respond so I decided I'd just believe him. No pain in that, since I really had no proof against what he was saying. And having a daddy that could afford to go to other parts of the world for so long would explain the nice house.

_'Just because it's something my parents would scoff at doesn't mean I have to be the same way…I won't be like them…'_

"Hey, Matt, think fast!" I looked up just in time for something small, square, and papery to hit me in the face. I picked the pack of matches off the ground and used one to light a cigarette after I tossed the pack back to Mello. By now, He was chomping away at a chocolate bar in the living room while he typed on the computer with one hand. He swallowed and said, "I'm emailing dad to tell him I got home okay, but fair warning, I'm taking the bandages off when I'm done. If you wanna leave, leave _now._"

Geez, he must really feel bad about it. I sat down next to him for reassurance and said, "nope, I'm staying."

"Alright," the sophomore said, closing his laptop. He moved his hands to the back of his head and slowly untied and then unraveled his bandages, starting at the top. Once he took enough gauze off for me to see the scar from between his bangs, he looked up at me with one blue, bandaged eye, gauging my reaction.

My _god._

I don't know what I expected to see, but just that small reveal was enough to pull something in my heart. The sympathy and shock I had only showed on my face for a second, but it was long enough for Mello to notice. I felt bad then. I couldn't help but compare myself to Linda the last time she looked Mello in the eye.

I wasn't leaving it at that though, I regained composure and scooted closer to Mello, putting a hand on his good shoulder and looking not at his scar, but at him.

"Keep going."

Mello just looked down, still holding the gauze in place. I decided to take matters into my own hands if he was gonna be so stubborn. Again I lessened the distance between us, _enough_ so our legs were touching. He looked back up in time to see me reach over and take the gauze from his hands, ready to finish what he started. I paused, waiting for him to fight back somehow. Then I realized that he _couldn't_. I was holding the reigns now, so to speak. If Mello moved too much, he'd surely rip whatever flesh that was still attached to the gauze off, not to mention the pain it caused him to move in general. Somehow I couldn't help but like this situation for some reason. All Mello could do was speak.

"Matt…" His voice was pleading, but unsure. I'd never expect someone like him to be like this. Why did he care if I took the bandages off? He was gonna do it anyway. Did he not want me to see it? But again, why should he _care_? I started unraveling the next row of bandage, not bothering to be slow around the back of the head but stopping at the edge of his face. Mello kept his eye on me, still scanning my face for any change in expression. I wouldn't let that happen again, though, no matter how bad it looked. The gauze didn't stick much with that row, and I could almost see his other eye now. I took a drag from my cigarette to hide the deep strained breath I was taking. Mello didn't seem to realize, so I kept going. This row didn't give me any problems, but I knew the next one would. I stopped again anyway, though, because now I could see Mello's other eye. It was closed, of course. The lid was scarred too, just like the rest of the area, though not as badly. For that I was thankful. Any worse and I'd probably see both Mello's eyes weather the scarred lid was closed or not…Now there's some incentive to not light a cig right before you fall asleep.

"…"

"…"

"Can…can you open it, Mello?"

"…N-no. It kind of hurts…" I could see Mello's eyelid move slightly, but it refused to obey his will.

"It's probably 'cause you haven't used it in the past week. Stupid freaking nurses…well, just leave it alone for the most part. Don't try to open it if it hurts." I said it more softly that I thought I would. Mello kept looking at me but nodded ever so slightly, so I continued to work gingerly at the bandages. They stuck at a few points, but worked with me for the most part. Finally, his face was completely visible and Mello looked at me for another moment before speaking.

"Well…?"

"Well…what?" I knew what Mello was asking. How bad does this look? I couldn't find it in me to tell him, or maybe I just didn't know how to put it into words. I felt pretty bad for him. There's no way he's getting rid of that scar any time soon. It ran from near the middle of his forehead down the left half of his face, just hardly missing his nose but just barely engulfing his left eye. I felt weird looking at it. It was like I was talking to a different person, even. He was visibly timid and even _looked_ different now. Other than the scar, shirt and hair, there was just something missing that screamed "the raging asshole Mello isn't here at the moment, can I take a message?"

…Or was that raging asshole even there to begin with?

Mello wouldn't wait any longer for my response. He got up and walked over to the bathroom and flipped on the light as I followed behind him to throw the gauze and my cigarette away. I watched his reflection as he looked at himself in the mirror. I could see all the emotions he was feeling as his good eye clearly conveyed them. He was shocked at what had become of his face, I could tell. Then his gaze locked with that of his reflections, both giving each other a look that could only be described as "I have to live with this for the rest of my life. This is forever…" Finally, he brought a hand up to his face and gently caressed the area below his eye with three fingers. Then he looked at me as if he didn't realize I was there and quickly looked away, his breathing becoming audible and shaky.

"Matt, please leave me now." He said. His voice sounded even more strained and broken than when I first heard him in the hospital. He just asked me to leave him? Now? While he's like this? Don't get me wrong, I know people need their space when bad things happen. However, right now just didn't seem like the time for that. It didn't feel right to just leave him like this after all that happened today. But what else was there _to_ do? I could only think of one thing, and I wasn't sure what kind of response I'd get, nor did I really care at that point.

"Mello."

"What?" was his quiet, defeated response. I didn't say anything. I leaned in and wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his right shoulder. Now this is the point where, if this were a romance novel or a shoujo manga, I'd say something like, "don't worry about it," or, "I love you for what's on the inside." I wasn't a big fan of that stuff, though. And on top of that, I was in such close contact with Mello, one of the most feared guys in school, without giving him any warning in advance. If I didn't feel like I was playing with fire when I supported him on the way home, or when I took off his gauze, I sure felt like that now.

I waited for a long time, refusing to move out of both my perseverance and fear. He just stood there, letting me hold on to him. It felt like several minutes had passed before he finally spoke.

"Matt…no…"

"Shhhh…" I said quietly, lifting my head so it was right by his ear, "just…just look at me." The sophomore hesitated but eventually obeyed and turned as I loosened my grip a little to let him. Our eyes met yet again and I tried to think of what to say next, hoping I wouldn't sound too stupid.

"Mello…It doesn't matter how you got that scar or how much of you it covers. You're you and that scar can never change that. Only you can." I added, "For what it's worth, it doesn't make me think any less of you, because of what you look like now. That scar will heal and become a part of who you are, but that doesn't mean you've become any less of a person. You aren't any less of anything, for that matter." I waited for his response.

"Matt…why are you saying and doing all these things for me? We hardly know each other."

"I…don't know." Was what I said. Even though I had a pretty good idea of why I could sympathize with him so well. We both have our scars. Neither of us wanted them. We're both hurting because of them…

Now it was Mello's turn to rest his head in the crook of my neck. He sighed deeply, his shoulder-length hair spilling in every which directing, some of it finding its way down my striped shirt and tickling my back. I remembered how whenever I was sad when I was a little kid, my parents would kiss me on the top of the head, so that's what I did. He didn't seem to mind, only hugging me tighter. After a few more minutes of hugging and back-patting, Mello felt well enough to make a request.

"Matt…go get my chocolate."

"What?"

"My chocolate. It's in my room, across the hall.

"Um, okay." Even though he was asking me to get it for him, he followed me into his room. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we had similar tastes in style, as far as décor went. His walls were a light red color with red carpeting, and a black queen-sized futon with some other black furniture like dressers and a night stand, which is where his chocolate was. Oh and by 'same taste in décor' I meant 'same lack of a reason to care for it.'

As I looked around at his room and admired the size of it compared to my own, Mellow made a B line for his precious chocolate and unwrapped another bar. I heard him mutter "useless…" and smiled to myself. The blonde teen sat down on his futon, which looked more like an over-sized lawn chair with a cushion than a couch, and started tugging on his shirt again.

"Ah, do you want me to help you with the bandages on your back?"

"Nah, I've seen enough for one day," he said, but still he took his shirt off and threw it in his hamper. I couldn't help but notice his physique at this point. He was skinny, like me, but definitely more muscular. I wondered what he'd done to get like that. It couldn't have just been from all the fighting he'd done, could it? I was staring again, so I turned my head to look at a random dresser when he got up and left. He came back a few seconds later with his lap top and my water that I had bought but left in the living room Instead of giving it to me, though, he sat back down, opened it, and took a sip, eying me the whole time. I gave him a questioning look and he gave a sly smile.

"You want it back?" It took me a second, but before I had the chance to do the "right" thing and let the scarred kid have my drink, I realized something: this was a test. Mello wanted to see how much of what I said was the truth. He wanted to see if I'd drink from the same water bottle as a disfigured person and not make a big deal out of it like my speech kind of insinuated. Fine by me. I gave him a pleasant smile and walked over to him, taking the bottle with one hand and downed half of what was left. When my tongue accidentally touched the edge of the water bottle, I could taste the faintest hint of chocolate where Mello's lips had been. Then I was the one smirking at my own evil plot.

I sat down next to Mello, set the water down, pulled his hand that was now holding his chocolate bar close to my mouth, and stole a bite right where his own bite marks had been. I looked up at him, still smiling as the sweet chocolate hung out of my mouth slightly. The blonde boy was suddenly seething with near comical amounts of rage now. I found this amusing considering the circumstances, and spoke through the part of my mouth that wasn't occupied.

"Sweet revenge."

"That's taking it too far, Matt." His voice sounded both surprised and dangerous.

"What're you gon' do about it?" Mello considered this for a second, and then he gave me a sly grin with his teeth showing and reached his arm around to the back of my head, pulling my hair back so I was looking up at him with my whole face instead of just my eyes. I winced a little as he quickly closed the space between us and I swear I had a thousand different thoughts in that second of what he was gonna do.

The last thing I would have ever expected, though, was Mello actually taking back his chocolate, _with his mouth._ I my mind quickly came back to the situation at hand, and out of impulse I decided I wasn't going to let him have it that easy. I gripped the now melting object even harder with my teeth so he couldn't pull it away from me. Somehow in my worsening daze, I figured pulling back and away from him would win me my prize, but Mello followed suite, putting his hands on my shoulders and pushing me down onto the futon even quicker. He was glad to let me slip into a position that I failed to realize would give him dominance in this fight. I was still determined, though. My next strategy was to use my lips and teeth to pull the chocolate into my mouth, which I figured would be like a safe base. Mello quickly caught on and did the same thing, only quicker. If I wasn't so focused on our little war, I would've doubled over laughing at this boy's desperate attitude toward his sweets. It didn't take long for our lips to meet abruptly, the quickly melting chocolate now too soft for our teeth and lips to grasp. I was instantly reminded of that old movie about the dogs kissing because they didn't realize they were both eating the same strand of spaghetti, which brought me even quicker to my next realization.

We're _kissing!_

Not to mention, this is my first kiss on the lips, ever…!

I felt really embarrassed and tried to move my face away, but Mello noticed and immediately took his hands and placed them on either side of my head, holding it steady in place, not allowing this crazy awkward moment to end for some reason. Without his hands on my shoulders supporting him above me, his bare chest and torso were now what was pushing me into the futon, further reducing any chance of escape. His lips were still on mine, but I could feel a warm tongue swaying back and forth on my lips, being sure not to miss anything. Once he was done with that, he became more persistent, trying to force his way into my mouth, which now had a thick coating of completely melted chocolate, with his now impatient tongue. I shut my eyes and mouth as tight as I could and moaned desperately, trying to snap him out of his frenzy and make him realize that _this_ was the 'too far' that he was talking about earlier. This only seemed to make him try even harder, though, and I found myself so nervous and light-headed that I finally gave in and let my lips relax.

Mello wasted no time taking what was his, making sure there wasn't a single drop of chocolate forgotten. I couldn't keep from shivering and I was getting more and more aroused by the second. Right when I thought I was gonna lose my mind he pulled away, satisfied with his work. We were both breathing heavily. While I still wasn't daring to sit up or even open my eyes, he was sipping from my water again and looking around him for his laptop.

Finally I mustered up the willpower to sit up and look at him. My face felt like it was on fire and I just felt so _strange. _I couldn't help but feel both mad and confused my Mello's rashness, and dared to question him on it.

"Why-…what did you do that for? Is chocolate really _that_ important to you? Didn't you realize I was trying to pull away? I felt like I was gonna die!"

"Yeah." Came Mello's simple response. His eyes were on a window on the computer that showed what I presumed was his emails. He must not have gotten any that he wanted, because with a sigh, he shut the computer and pushed it aside so there was room for him to lay down again, god forbid he didn't have that same bar of chocolate that caused all this in his grasp again.

"Do you realize what that was? We _kissed!_ More than that, we totally made out, Mello!"

"So what? You provoked me." At that, I just stared at him, dumbfounded. I was kind of glad he didn't notice I kind of liked it, or at least he didn't say it. My cheeks were still burning, though. I needed something to get my mind off all this. Then I remembered the portable game system I always carried on me and pulled it out. Thankfully I had remembered to charge the batteries today. As the start screen loaded, I could already feel myself beginning to relax. It was comforting to look at something so familiar when I'd just experienced something so foreign. Then Mello's voice brought me back to reality.

"What game are you playing?"

"Tetris."

"Can't see." Was he kidding? What the hell was I supposed to do about it? I sighed and leaned back so I was lying next to Mello, my head resting slightly on his arms that were crossed behind his head. I couldn't help but notice at this point that Mello even _smelled _like chocolate. _'Must be nice,'_ I thought, immediately feeling self-conscious about me and how I probably smelled like cigarettes right now. Mello watched me play without disturbing the sound of nothing but the beep's and bip's of the game for some time. It must have been at least a half hour later when he finally spoke.

"Y'know, you taste like cigarettes. And chocolate." I looked over at him. He seemed pretty damn pleased with his declaration. I could feel the unwanted burning come back to my cheeks in a heartbeat.

'_God dammit! Do I...kind of like this...?'_

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><p>Well there you go! Notice how the chapters keep doubling in length? XD Anyway, please continue to review, as it is the only way I have of knowing if this story is good enough or not! Plus it's your reviews that drive me to wanna write more~ ^_^<p> 


	4. When All You Have Is A Can Of Tuna

**Hey Guys! Sorry for the long wait. I got some writers block x.x Also things have been pretty hectic since I JUST STARTED HIGH SCHOOL TODAY! :D I'm hoping that now that I'm an official high-schooler it'll be easier for me to write a fanfic that takes place in High School...yeah. Anyway, just a funny thing, but my new language arts teacher was going over electronics rules, and said "Oh by the way, last year I had one guy student, and he was trying to play his Nintendo DS in my class!" DOES MATT GO TO MY SCHOOL! I wish! Then I could just follow him and Mello around for inspiration, but alas, I must work with what I am given. Oh, yeah! Thank you, Jess, for showing me around and being there to encourage me to finally write this chapter, I'd be very, very lost without yooh~. So without further Adieu ~**

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><p>You've Seen My Scars, Now Show Me Yours<p>

Slowly, I began to recognize the strange feeling on parts of my body as warmth. I opened my eyes, still a little drowsy and glad the only lighting in the room was the sunshine coming from the window behind me. First I saw hair, then I saw a soft green throw blanket, then I saw my arms, wrapped around Mello's abdomen. The greatest threat to society our High School had ever seen, or so I had thought.

…and I was _spooning _with him?

I panicked a little, and felt my leg twitch involuntarily, clueing me in to the fact that my left leg was between Mello's two legs and my right leg was under it all. '_Seriously?'_ I thought to myself, _'what is this madness and how do I get out of it alive?' _It was only a matter of time before the blonde woke up and noticed the position we were in. I mean, we didn't _do _anything. Last I remember, I set the game down for a few minutes to give my eyes a break from the small screen and I must have fallen asleep. I've been known for jostling around in my sleep, and even falling off the bed a few times, but never _this. 'Oh man, how mad would Mello be? Actually, will he even be mad? He did kiss me last night…but that was just for the chocolate…'_

"Nnn, does this mean you're awake, yet?" If I wasn't already frozen from fear of my current situation, his voice did the trick. I considered pretending I was still sleeping to buy time, but I figured that wouldn't do any good.

"Uh, y-yeah I'm awake now, I just woke up…" I felt stupid saying that while still not letting go of him. But it was one of those situations, how do I explain…? Kind of like when your mom tells you to get up for school in the morning and you know you'll be late if you don't get up, but there's just something keeping you from moving because you're so damn _comfortable…_well that and the fear of making any sudden moves made up my current predicament.

filled with both fright and tiredness. "Are you still cold? You're heart just sped up to a mile a minute…" At this point I finally let go and untangled my legs from his. My face was burning and I noticed that it was true. My heart was racing and it was so noticeable that Mello either heard it or felt it through his back. I looked down, not knowing what to do or just how to feel.

"No, I'm not…cold." I realized that any part of me that wasn't touching Mello really _was_ cold. Freezing, in fact. Aside from my still-burning cheeks, not even the cozy throw blanket was enough to shield me from the crisp late-November air.

"The minute you put your game down, you started nodding off. You were shivering, though, so I went and got a blanket from the closet. Guess that wasn't good enough, though," Mello said with a slight smirk. I couldn't help but feel a little pissed at him.

"That wasn't my fault," I said, propping myself up on an elbow, "I was sleeping, and it's cold in here! I mean jeez_…" _ I trailed off. The sudden movement had given what felt like all the cold in Antarctica to crawl across my body. I made a face and let the arm that wasn't holding me up shoot to my chest, feeling for the familiar fabric of my shirt. It was so cold it felt like I wasn't wearing anything. Thankfully, though that wasn't the case. Relieved, I pulled the blanket off me, checking for my pants, next…

Mello watched the whole time, letting the blanket slide off him as well when I moved it. "You don't really think I'd take off your clothes and do something like _that _while you're sleeping, do you?" Well actually, you are a heavy enough sleeper…"

Hearing this made me stop, and I looked up at him with my most incredulous face. "That's not what I was thinking about, but thanks for putting the thought in my head." 'You sick freak!' I added mentally. Even though I was sure Mello was teasing me, was it really necessary to be doing it during such a delicate situation?

"Oh? Then what were you looking for?" The question caught me off guard and I groped for an answer to it.

"My um…phone." I got up and started searching my pockets as if worried I'd lost it, finally pulling it out of the front pants pocket which I knew it was in. Out of habit I flipped it open to check the time. What I saw only resurrected my catatonia.

_Mom: 6 missed calls_

Whatever carefree world I was living in at that point had shattered around me. I immediately felt stupid for not calling her to let her know I was spending the night. Then again, I didn't _know_ I'd be spending the night. I was torn between calling her right away to end her panic and not doing it to elongate my life. She could care less about my personal life, but boy could she make herself upset if she thought that I was dead or in such a bad situation that I couldn't reach my phone. Mello was still looking at me and wondering what I saw on my phone that made me turn so white.

"It's 7:30 a.m." he informed me. I shook my head.

"I know, but my mom. She tried to call me 6 times." I my hand shook as I started dialing her number, but Mello swiped the phone from me before I pressed the call button.

"She's gonna yell at you?"

"Well, yeah. I was gone for almost 12 hours. Even more if she hasn't called the school to make sure I got there okay."

"What time did she call you?"

"All six are from this morning…about 3 hours ago." Mello thought about something for a while.

"How important is this phone to you?"

"What? It's not that important. It's old so dad ordered a new one that should come in the mail either today or Monday. Why?" At this point Mello was dialing my mom's number on the screen of my phone with his own. It rang a few times before I heard my mom pick up. I was afraid of what Mello was doing but didn't try to stop him since it seemed like he had a plan.

"Hello, is this Matt's mom? I'm the one he took home from the hospital yesterday," I put my ear against the phone to hear what profanities might come from my mom the moment she got a chance to speak, but Mello continued, "I just wanted to let you know that Matt cut his jaw on the lid of a can of tuna last night and fainted." I can only describe the face I was making at that point as the one you make when you hear someone say something completely stupid. He didn't take notice as he let my mom give a response that sounded saturated with equal disbelief.

"Matt doesn't even like tuna though, and why was he using his mouth? Did he ever wake up?" I couldn't help but think that if anyone was just listening to my mom's half of the conversation at the house; they'd get the wrong idea. Anyway, when I heard that last part I couldn't believe she was buying it. I wanted to do a face palm but was afraid to make noise so close to the receiver. Oh mom…

"Ah, that part you can blame on me. The doctor in charge of me said eating fish would help me heal faster and all that, but I can hardly move, so Matt said he'd take care of it. The can opener got stuck though, so he tried to pull the lid back with his teeth, and got cut. It's not deep though. Matt finally came to about ten minutes ago and he's in the bathroom right now. I gave him some peroxide to wash his mouth out with…oh wait, he's here now." Mello handed the phone to me, giving me a small smile.

"Hey mom, it's me." I said into the cell phone.

"Matt…I called you. Why are you using someone else's cell phone?"

"Ah…I dropped my phone when I went up some stairs. I thought I'd be going right home before I passed out, so I didn't think I'd have to call you…sorry." I said, continuing Mello's lie. I was so nervous I could feel my hands sweating. There was something about my mom that really bothered me when she yelled or got upset. I couldn't help but feel that I was walking on thin ice, even if it seemed that Mello had gotten me through the most tedious part of the made-up story.

"Whatever, just come home right now." It sounded strict and didn't exactly feel fair, but I was just glad she wasn't blowing her stack like she would have in any other case. Keep in mind this was her when there was a burned man, a cut son that had fainted, and a lethal can of tuna involved in the alibi. Then I decided to see how far I could push my luck.

"Mello still needs me. Can he come over?"

"…fine. But I didn't buy any food so don't ask for me to feed the both of you. And I ain't driving anyone home, so don't ask about that either." I tried to keep from rolling my eyes. After saying goodbye, I hung up and returned the phone to Mello.

"But why didn't we use my phone?"

"I'd seem like a bad person if I didn't try to use it to contact her sooner," Mello said innocently.

"I guess…but she probably already hates you just for being my friend. I mean…!" Was it okay to say he was my friend? I mean, did he think we were friends?

"What do you mean," he said, disrupting my thoughts, "she hates all of your friends?"

"No…Well, she hates other people in general, but teenagers especially. She also kind of hates me, so it's only natural she'd hate my friends."

"Don't say that, she's your mom, she can't hate you."

"Well, you don't know how she is. All she cares about is her books. Sometimes I think she regrets having a kid…" I caught myself before going any further. I didn't want Mello any closer to my personal life that he already was. _'Time to change the topic again.'_

I left Mello's room and started making my way over to the front door. "Are you all set?"

"Hang on, lemme at least take a shower first, dammit!" He shouted back from his room. I sighed and decided to take a tour of the house while he was doing that. I was beginning to get bored when I came across a box in the kitchen. It was already half-open, so I pulled the flaps back and the contents made something in my brain click.

"Fireworks…?" I couldn't help but ask out loud since I'd never seen them just lying around before.

"Yeah," Mello's voice made me jump. I didn't even hear the water stop, but sure enough, when I turned around at the speed of lightning, he was standing there, wearing similar leather pants to the ones he had yesterday, "those are fireworks alright. And not the cheap shit kind, either."

"Mello…"

"Yeah?"

"Did you…do these fireworks maybe….have anything to do with your…"

"…"

"Mello?"

"I don't wanna talk about it right now. Let's just go to your house already."

"…will you tell me when we get there?"

"…"

"_Please?"_

"…fine, but you have to get me chocolate on the way. And It can't be milk chocolate, it has to be dark."

"But didn't you just get-?"

"I ate it already." A lot of things scared me about this guy, but his ungodly consumption of chocolate was making its way up the list quickly. I had a feeling he was even lying about having tuna in the house.

"Uh…yeah, sure. There's some at my house. It's the expensive kind too. Nobody in my house likes dark chocolate, but my mom bought it cause it was on sale." Mello seemed to loosen up and was even smiling a little now.

"Good."

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><p><strong>Hope you liked this chapter! Personally I don't think it's my best...it's always those morning-after chapters that get me...XD just kidding! Sorry again for such a late update, and thank you for being patient!<strong>


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